Sandcastles Aren't For Kids
by Tropicall
Summary: What does the crew do when you're out of money but in a tropical paradise? You participate in the local sandcastle competition for 250,000 Beli! But is it worth it when the tension in the crew is running high? Challenge fic for Lolly Dream Yaoi Forum.
1. Chapter 1

"Luffy!" Nami screamed loudly. Poor Luffy had a look of pure terror on his face as he tried to evade Nami.

"What did he do now?" Sanji remarked to nobody in particular after they had stormed through the kitchen. Lucky for them he was doing the dishes, or else there would be another shitstorm Luffy's way. But he got his answer almost immediately.

"What did you do with the money?" She snarled as she had finally cornered Luffy. Realizing he couldn't escape Nami anymore, he went for lying.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Luffy hesitantly said, looking the other way and whistling. Zoro had woken up, and he could easily spot the beads of sweat forming on his rubbery skin. Nami now grabbed Luffy by the neck and lifted him up, causing him to look a bit like a giraffe..

"Don't you lie." Nami hissed in a low tone. "When we left Siesta Island, we had three hundred thousand Beli. I check the coffers two days later and there's one note left." Her face was contorted in the angry mask only money could bring on. Robin had stopped reading and was looking at the spectacle with a slight smile, while Usopp was in armor and Franky had gotten some wood ready. Brook was nervously making skull jokes to ease the tension, and Sanji had been drying the same plate for five minutes now.

"Really? Maybe Zoro spent it on sake." Luffy lied, pointing at Zoro with an expectant face. It had horrible timing, as Zoro was checking to see if the bottle of sake next to him really was empty.

Nami's iron fist came down on Luffy's head. It was a remarkable thing that she could physically hurt Luffy with a punch. But then again, it was like watching Whack-a-Mole sometimes. A vein was throbbing next to her bright orange hair and if Luffy wasn't going to be answering anytime some, Chopper would be pretty busy. The reindeer in question was now alarmed as he took in the scene. Everybody was watching, happy that it wasn't them Nami's wrath was directed at.

Luffy was rubbing his head and looked at Nami with the best puppy-eyes he could manage. She faltered, but then strengtened her resolve. Again her fist was raised, as if she was at a fair and was going to hit the bell and take the prize. Luffy realized he wouldn't be able to get out of this unless he dished out his answer. He mumbled something unintelligible.

"What was that Luffy?" Nami growled in a dangerous low tone.

Again he wasn't looking at her.

"I bought armor."

'WHAT?" She screeched. "YOU SPENT THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND BELI ON ARMOR?"

"It's a man's romance!" He defended himself, puffing out his chest.

"He's going to be needing it soon." Usopp whispered to Chopper. And boy he was right. Luffy saw it coming and launched himself up in the sails as Nami had let him go. Admitting defeat, she stomped back into the boat looking even angrier than before. Luffy slowly slid down, and his usual grin returned to his face.

"Phew…" He said, wiping the sweat off of his brow. Sadly for him, the storm wasn't over. Nami had returned, with a triumphant grin and the armor in her hands. It was cool armor though, the steel was black and shiny and had an intricate silver pattern on it. Luffy just looked at Nami blankly, not getting what her purpose was for bringing his extremely awesome up to deck. Surely it was worth the money right?

Wrong. Dead, dead wrong. Nami grabbed a part of, and revealed a torch. Agonzingly slow, she put on fire-proof gloves, and turned the torch on. The flame slowly melted the steel and Luffy was looking at her as if she was torturing his puppy. She was taking Luffy's dreams and squashing them down. Technically burning them to a crisp. His face was filled with pain as the metal disintegrated. Ashes pelted the deck, and in an agonizing five minutes, the affair was over. Luffy had the face of a six-year old boy who had just seen his pet killed.

Sanji quickly started on a meat dish to cheer him up. Chopper and Usopp were trying to get him to go on the swing. Franky was checking the deck for damage, and Robin was reading again. Zoro, as usual, was fast asleep. But Luffy's spirits couldn't be lifted. The meat made the intensity of his sadness a little less, but he wasn't his usual self.

"Nami, weren't you a bit harsh?" Robin gently said as Nami passed her to sunbathe. The glare said it all, but Robin took no mind. "That was three hundred thousand Beli you just torched." She remarked. Nami was in bitch mode, and didn't reply. Robin concentrated on her book again. Then Franky shouted.

"I see an island!" Franky shouted loudly.

"So soon?" Chopper asked hesitantly. They were used to waiting for quite some time before another island came, and it had only been a day since they left Siesta Island. It had been Zoro's private heaven, with him sleeping most of the day, just like all the inhabitants. It had been a quick stop, and they'd exchanged some of the treasure they'd found there, and of course restocked.

"The Grand Line isn't logical. There are records of people hitting the next island mere hours after leaving. I've read the New World is even more difficult. They call this half 'Paradise.'" Robin said. Everybody was running around, getting things ready to leave the ship. Nami had put on a sundress and was commanding everybody around. Luffy was somewhat excited, but not his usual self. The poor captain was taking the downfall of his amor rather badly. But that didn't stop him from being the first to hop off the ship and explore.

This island was like paradise. White sand covered the beaches, and tall palms, twisted in strange shapes, lazily swung in the wind. Sanji was going crazy over the sexy girls in their bikinis, sunbathing or swimming in the cool turqouise water. Some sort of complexes had been built over the water, so you could be in your cabin and then literally jump out of the window into the sea. A large wooden sign, embellished with shells and colorful letters welcomed the Straw Hat crew to Fiesta Island.

They all followed the wooden path, looking at the beach longingly.

"We should stay here a while." Usopp mused, clearly enjoying the nice weather of a Summer Island. His eyes were closed, and he looked relaxed.

"And rent one of those cabins!" Chopper said, his voice clearly excited.

"I finally fit in." Franky said with a grin. His speedo's, Hawaiian shirts and gold chain proved to be a rather questionable outfit almost anywhere, resulting in him being called a pervert more often than not. The blue-haired man looked like a beach bum, and there was nothing wrong with that here.

"Your eyes have more radiance than the sun." Sanji said seriously as he took a good-looking girl's hand and gave her a flamboyant kiss. "I'm Sanji."

The girl giggled, flipping her caramel colored hair over her shoulder. She was deeply tanned, and was wearing a glittery gold bikini with a cream cloth knotted around her hips. Zoro looked at the scene with interest, as he wasn't immediately rejected as usual.

"I'm Grace." She answered, giving all the guys a smile that clearly wouldn't be forgotten for a long time. Zoro wasn't affected, as he had more important things to concentrate on than the size of her massive breasts. The crew thought he was just so set on his goal he didn't seem to have any time for one night stands or anything of the romantic sort. "Welcome to Fiesta Island. The Log Pose should set in seven days. I work at the Cabana Cabin's, so would you guys like to stay there? It's not too expensive…" She noticed Brook. Her mouth opened, and she was about to scream. Not the impression the crew wanted to make. Robin quickly bloomed an arm to cover her mouth, scaring her even more.

You could hear her trying to talk.

"I'm Dead Bones Brook, a skeleton gentleman!" Brook said, adding his trademark 'Yohohoho'.

"Don't scream please. He's harmless." Robin said as her arm disappeared in a flurry of pink petals.

Grace nodded, and shyly stuck out her hand, and brushed Brook's sternum. Her eyes looked at him in wonder.

"Your skin feels heavenly on mine, even though I have no skin since I'm a skeleton! Skull joke! Yohohoho!" Brook laughed at his own joke.

She decided the skeleton wasn't too much of a threat, and caused a chanting of Sanji's 'Mellorine! Mellorine!" as she hooked her arm through his. No male could resist her. Luffy was eating a banana he had taken from a tree, looking around with a slight smile. Nami was feeling a tiny bit sorry, as Luffy's spirit was still rather crushed. He wasn't even walking in front or was grinning his usual lazy grin. Brook was slightly miffed, probably about not taking the chance to ask if he may see her panties.

Just as she was about to apologize, she was shut up. A simple wooden display board had been placed in the middle of the beach, and the text could have been sent from the heavens.

SANDCASTLE COMPETITION IN:

SIX DAYS

PARTICIPATE AND WIN

250,000 BELI!

Sign up at the Cabana front desk.

Beli sign flashed in her eyes. She could refill her coffers again. And buy a new lock. Her greedy giggle alerted the crew member, who read the board and sighed. Nami would surely force them all to participate and build some monstrous thing while she sunbathed and watched them work, commenting non-stop. Thy quickly reached Cabana Cabin's front desk where Grace signed them into three cabins.

"Excuse me Grace-san." Nami quickly interjected as she stated explaining something about rules and regulations, wasted on the pirates. "We would like to enter the sand-castle competition." She looked serious. Her hands were flat on the desk, and she was leaning dangerously close to Grace, terrorizing the poor girl.

"S-sure…" The beauty stammered. "W-what's your g-group's name?"

"Straw Hat Pirates." Luffy said, his lazy grin returning. Some would say he said it to impress Grace, but knowing Luffy, with his lack of libido, that wasn't the reason. Maybe he did it to get a rise out of her, as he was a pirate and lived to disrupt society, a Marine could have said. But his crew knew he said it because he was proud of his nakama and his crew.

"You g-guys are p-pirates?" She said pirates as one might say a dirty word.

"Is it against the rules?" Zoro growled, giving her a fearsome look. He'd rather be embarassed about wanting to join a sandcastle competition than face that witch's wrath.

"N-no, b-but…" Grace looked even more terrified. Her eyes darted from Zoro's swords to the muscles in Franky's arm to Luffy's scar.

"Do you guys have any non-saltwater swimming area's?" Robin asked with a small smile, waiting for her to work out the math. They were making sure Grace wasn't going to call anybody. Nobody wanted to mess with Devil's Fruit users. "It's such a pain for us."

Her eyes widened and then she looked around again. Everybody had drawn out their weapons just enough for her to notice them.

"So, a team of nine?" Grace said with a small attempt at a smile. A failed one at that, as she was terrified. The pirates nodded and Grace wrote it down on a clipboard. Quickly she put it away and took her her sign-in list where they had to put all their individual names. The poor girl couldn't help herself and looked at the names, and then at the bounty posters on the wall. It was a fact Grace would have nightmares. She stumbled to get a map to give the criminals, and stammered to explain where fresh water was located and paths. Also, she handed them a sheet of paper with ruler about the competition.

Grace sighed as they walked out of the door. Maybe it was time for a vacation.

"Zoro, Robin!" Nami sighed. "We didn't have to terrorize her." It wasn't that she was bothered, she just didn't want the judges to have a prejudice against them in the competition.

"If we didn't, there would be a shitload of Marines here. Didn't you see the bounty posters they had on the wall?"

"Only Luffy was there." Nami said.

"Oh, I ripped it off." Robin suddenly said, holding up a ball of paper which she threw in the sea. "Better get rid of evidence we're pirates."

They relaxed as they sea breeze wafted in their faces. The cabins had indeed not been expensive, and they would pay after their not if they lost the competition. Nobody would let that happen if they valued their lives though. Well, not a person was really planned on paying, since they could have just as well stayed on their ship. The allure of these tropical cabins had proved too strong, and maybe Luffy would leave them 'Treasure Credit' as he'd done when he was small.

"Wow!" Chopper said, clearly impressed. Even Zoro gave a grumble that signified him liking it. Bamboo covered the inside of the cabin, and the beds looked luxurious. Mosquito netting had been hung over every bed. This was the largest cabin, having four beds. Soon it was worked out that Luffy, Brook, Usopp and Chopper would stay here, while Sanji and Zoro would take one of the cabins with two beds and Nami and Robin the other. Franky would watch the ship, and he volunteered for it, saying he was shipswright and it was his duty. Usopp, Luffy and Chopper had ran to the livin area, where couches, filled with water and a table that actually was an aquarium stood. The glass table had a small tube in the floor that went to a wall, with a stunning display of small nurse sharks, manta rays, coral and colorful fish swam around.

Luffy had stuck his face to the glass and was laughing. As he ran to the bathroom, a smudge showed where his cheek had been. Usopp hooted as he saw the jacuzzi, bathtub and the grandeur of the shower. The crew laughed at their antics, but even Zoro smiled at how happy the three were.

"Let's go swimming!" Luffy shouted. Sine they were unstoppable, everybody walked over to the ship for their bathing suits and quickly changed. **[A/N Think that colorspread Oda did] **Soon they were all relaxing in a hot spring, except for the childish three who were using jungle vines to splash into a nearby spring. It wasn't too deep, and everybody laughed when Luffy went first and bounced into the air as he jumped too late.

As the sun started setting, it became pretty cool so they returned to their cabins.

"This island is great!" Usopp cheered just before they split up. Franky had already left some time ago. Usopp was ignored though, because as soon as they hit the beach a stunning display of people dancing with fire surprised them. You could barely make out their shapes, and the fire was flying at a high speed.

"It almost looks like they're controlling it!" Chopper said, his mouth agape.

"I thought your brother ate a fire Logia." Zoro said.

"These people don't have a Devil's Fruit power Chopper. They're trained to do this." Robin remarked.

Chopper walked a bit more to the front, only to fly onto Zoro's head. One of the fire dancers spit a flame in his direction, nearly burning him. They heard Zoro angrily mumble something and trying to get Chopper off. Robin chuckled and pried him loose.

"You're going to choke swordsman-san."

"I thought you were a man Chopper, but alas…" Usopp said, feigning disappointment. "A great warrior of the sea like me is rare-"

"I am a man!" Chopper said angrily, jumping out of Robin's arms.

Usopp opened his mouth but then his pant leg caught on fire as one of the dancers had thrown a sort of fiery boomerang.

"Stop, drop and roll Usopp!" The reindeer ordered quickly as Usopp was running like a chicken without a head. Immediately he dropped, and rolled. It was quite a comical scene, as Usopp was rolling about with no effect.

"Roll harder!"

People started laughing at the scene, but diverted their attention as the flame went out. The crew kept on teasing Usopp about it until they all fell asleep in thir luxurious beds. To Luffy's delight, it was a water mattress, and you could hear it sloshing around all night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author: Thank you everybody for all the enthusiasm about this story! I got really great reviews, and I'm just so happy. So here's chapter two!**

Most of the crew was awakened with Luffy's cries for help. The dumb rubber man had jumped from his window into the sea and was spitting up water and drowning. With a sigh, Sanji dove into the water and dragged him on-shore. People on the beach had all watched them, and the lifeguard had just ran over , his sunscreen still white on his biceps and face.

"Thanks dude." The blonde said, obviously not interested at all that somebody was about to drown. He only saved pretty chicks.

"Great saving skills." Sanji remarked as he stepped on Luffy so he could spit out the water.

The man looked slightly taken aback but shrugged it off and returned to his post. His face was surprised when all the ladies he had been talking to had run over to Sanji.

'You're a hero!" A very busty blonde said.

A redhead was stroking his bicep suggestively, while others soon crowded around Sanji.

"How strong you must be!"

"So fast!"

"It was so cool!"

Luffy had walked off, and was about to jump in again. Sanji wasn't noticing, as he was surrounded by what he liked most; beautiful women. Part of the reason he was so popular now was that his white shirt was sticking to his chiseled chest and was see-through. His pants weren't half as clingy though, but still, he looked pretty good. Another splash was heard, and with a "Fuck!" Zoro had dove in to save the drowning captain once more.

"How many times do we need to jump in?" Zoro growled to Luffy, who was again coughing up water. "And you!" He continued, glaring at the lifeguard flexing his tanned bicep "Pay attention!"

Angrily he stormed back into his cabin, dragging Luffy along. He already was pissed at being woken up by his captain's antics, but having to dive in to save him?

"Get some sort of raft before you dive in again." He muttered angrily as he left Luffy in front of his cabin. Right now, he was planning on taking a shower, getting dressed and sleep a bit in one of the hammocks scattered along the beach. Luffy longingly looked at the clear water and started looking in the cabin for one of his inflatable tubes.

He wasn't lucky today though, and with a dejected face he walked over the beach. Sanji was still flirting, Usopp was making something for the sandcastle competition, Franky was designing a castle, and everybody else was asleep. Then he spotted Robin, relaxing with a blue polo knotted at her waist and an olive bikini bottom. Luffy was unaffected, but the surrounding men were.

"Whatcha reading?" He said, sitting in the sand next to her chair.

"A book about the history of this island." She said, still reading whilst answering.

"Is it interesting?"

"I think so." She chuckled. "But I don't think you'll like it."

Luffy laughed too and stood up. He decided to wake up Chopper and go do something fun. Maybe they could go exploring in the jungle. That sounded like a good adventure! With a new grin he walked past some girls of his own age.

"What's your name?" One of them said, taking ahold of his arm. She had blonde ringlets and brown eyes. "I'm Sunny."

"I'm Luffy." He said. Maybe this girl wanted to do something fun!

"Want to grab something at the bar?" Sunny flirted, batting her eyelashes. When Luffy didn't look, she gave her group of friends a thumbs up and an excited smile.

"Nah, I'm not thirsty." Luffy said with a careless grin. Sunny only barely faltered, not giving up so easily.

"What about something to eat? I'll pay!" She offered quickly. No way was she going to endure her friends teasing about somebody rejecting her!

His face brightened. "Sure, as long as they have meat!"

"A carnivore huh?" Sunny said grinning. "So am I." She laced her fingers through his. Luffy didn't notice, being too busy with thinking about how much meat he should order. He didn't even notice when the girl was looking at his chest, thinking about how muscular he was. Luffy was seemingly without libido, and he couldn't realize what effects he had on girls.

They sat down on a table, and they quickly ordered. While Sunny had a salad, she was amazed at Luffy's order.

"I'll have every kind of meat you have." He said, licking his lips just at the thought freshly roasted goat.

Sunny closed her mouth. Suddenly she didn't like him that much any more. The way he ate, it would cost her all her vacation money!

"So Luffy, how old are you?" She asked, plastering her smile back on her face.

"Seventeen." He didn't ask for her age.

"I'm seventeen." She offered anyway. "So, what brings you here?" Sunny was desperate to keep the conversation going. Because as soon as the meal came, she would eat her salad, tell Luffy she has to go to the bathroom and get outta here! With his messy black hair, big brown eyes, perpetual childish expression and yet that badass scar under his eye, he was hot. But he wasn't worth all my vacation money! She had set her mind.

"Oh, my ship came here." Luffy answered with a grin, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back on his chair.

"Really? Your ship? So are you a captain or something?" Sunny leaned forward, as if interested. She was, but still. She didn't want to falter. After this he would probably hate her.

"Yeah."

Luffy's answer was short because he wanted to see if his meat was finished. Sanji was way faster. His bones were tingling for adventure. Luffy's gaze strayed from looking at the kitchen to the lush green jungle. It was kind of absurb, the way the dark foliage gave way to the white sand and palm trees. Ferns were humongous, and the shrubs, teeming with brilliant flowers fought for the scarce sunlight.

And that was just the plants. What sort of animals would live here? It wouldn't be up to Little Garden standards, but Luffy do with any kind of predator. Most likely the wildlife would suffer post-adventure. This captain wasn't part of the Monster Trio for nothing. Or the Supernova's. He was quite frightening when he wanted to be, even with his childish looks and smaller body.

Unlike his brother Ace or Zoro, his muscles weren't plainly evident. His arms were smooth, although not soft. His entire body was compacted with lean muscle. It could be that the consuming of a Devil's Fruit had made sure his muscles would never be bulging. Even so, his chest was chiseled, and really, he never paid attention to how he looked so he didn't care. As long as he had his hat, meat and adventure, Luffy was a happy man.

It didn't forgo Sunny that he was wiggling on his chair. The brown eyes that made her melt were scanning the area carefully.

"So, are you a captain with the Marines?" She asked. He was supposed to pay attention! Sure, she was rejecting him anyway, but she would dump him! Luffy wouldn't ditch her!

"Nope." He said, grinning widely. "I'm a pirate."

Her face contorted in a mixture of surprise an fear, but then settled into admiration. "Omigod, really?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna be king of the pirates!"

The crazy thing was, he looked like he was serious. Sunny couldn't believe what she was hearing. But instead of saying, "But that's impossible!" she went for flattery.

"I'm sure you can do it." Sunny said, looking flirtingly at him. "So what's your bounty?"

"Threehundred million Beli." He said, still grinning like it was nothing.

Sunny sprayed her ice water all over the table. This guy's a demon!

"What's wrong?" Luffy asked, furrowing his brow.

"Nothing."

A waiter came, and added an extra table for Luffy's meat. No conversation followed, as Luffy was scarfing down food like he hadn't eaten in days. Make that weeks. He even ate the bones, not stopping for a second. Steaks disappeared into the black hole that was his stomach. Food was smeared around his mouth, yet he didn't even look deterred.

Sunny lost her appetite just watching him shovel in food like there was no tomorrow. She had only taken one bite, but that was one bite too many.

"I have to go to the restroom." She hastily said, cupping a hand over her mouth and on her slim stomach. Luffy hadn't even noticed the invitee had just left. The entire restaurant was staring at him, as he wasn't too quiet.

Crunch, smack, chew. That rhythm filled the entire restaurant as people put down their cutlerly and just stared at the unmannered youth. Even from the beach onlookers had gathered, pointing and whispering. And then, as Luffy finished, he let out an earth-shuddering belch.

"Man, that was good!" He exclaimed loudly, patting his still flat stomach. With a wide grin he stood up and walked away, forgetting all about Sunny. Now he was ready for an adventure. Happily he walked back to the Cabana, deciding he first needed a vest. Whistling a merry tune he remembered from Saobody Park.

Chopper had woken up and had just dressed and was brushing his fur. He thought it was a pain, but Doctorine would hound him so terribly if he didn't, so now it was more a habit. He missed Doctorine. It would soon be her 140th birthday, and he wouldn't be there. Quickly he made a mental note to send her a card and a recipe for a medicine he had discovered.

"Hey Luffy!" Chopper greeted his captain. "I was wondering where you went!"

"Chopper! Let's go have an adventure in the jungle!" Luffy immediately blurted out with an excited face. "I bet there's a monster there somewhere!"

"A m-monster?"

"Yeah! So you wanna come?" Luffy was bouncing up and down, and poor Chopper didn't want to say no. He was a man! He would fight that monster and show its place!

"O-okay." He hesitantly agreed.

Luffy immediately grabbed one of his hooves and ran into the jungle happily, forgetting all about wanting to grab a vest. Chopper was waving behind him like a flag, and then he got stuck in a vine. The dumb idiot Luffy was, he didn't notice and kept on running. Then, just as it was too late, he noticed his arm was stretched to the limit and they were both launched backwards.

Through the air they soared, until a fairly flexible tree caught them both, bended backwards and shot them up again like a catapult. Luffy was laughing with delight while Chopper clamped onto the rubbery arm for his dear life.

"Woohooo!" Luffy shouted.

Chopper was crying with fear. Last night he'd seen a volcano when they went to the hot springs and now they might be flying towards it! If he and Luffy died they wouldn't rest in peace. Because Nami would want to cash Luffy's bounty in, and then she would haunt them because they didn't participate in the sandcastle competition. Chopper swallowed the lump in his throat and looked around. He saw his backpack drop, and hoped nothing broke. But then he saw something that was fearsome all right.

Below the duo was the geyser. The name had forgone Chopper, but he knew enough about geology to still be panicky. This one came from a small pool, and you could see it was boiling. Bubbles shot out, and you could smell the sulphur. And if the water shot out at this moment…. He shuddered. It didn't look too good.

"Luffy! Grab onto something!"

"Why? We're going to make the biggest splash ever! If only Usopp could see!" He laughed his fool's laugh yet again.

"No Luffy! That water is boiling –" Chopper was cut short. It was too late. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion for him. The steam was rising up, slightly tickling their skin. Luffy noticed the water wasn't at a bearable heat. Our doctor was about to burst into tears again; all his fur would be burnt or would have to be removed to treat the burns.

And as Luffy predicted, they did make the biggest splash. But they had to swim upward, because if the geyser erupted, they would be sucked inside, and they would die for sure! Luffy was splashing, not expecting this particular pool to be deep. Quickly Chopper transformed into his human counterpart, and they dragged themselves out, just before they heard a loud rumble and the boiling hot water shot out.

Panting they laid side by side, shielded by the foliage.

"That was awesome!" Luffy said, still excited. The adrenaline was still pumping, and soon they would both feel the burn.

As if Kami themselves was watching over them, Chopper saw his blue backpack. Hastily he grabbed it, and took out his water bottle. Half of it he quickly poured over Luffy and with the rest he doused himself. Quickly he searched, until he found his vinegar. Again he doused both of them and then he surveyed the damage.

Happily he noted it was nothing but a minor burn. Not that they aren't painful, but they wouldn't have to have bandages.

"Ow!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed. His face was contorted into dislike, and he started shaking his limbs quite comically. The rubber man was making apelike noises as he was there doing his little dance. Another rumble was heard, and it started pouring over them. Robin would have informed them, if she knew, that jungle islands would often have impromptu downpour. Soon their hair was stuck to their skin, but their burns were relieved. Luffy's spirit once more rebounded, and he grabbed a walking stick and started to explore.

Tropical birds were cawing, and you could hear the song of one bird. All the other joined in, and it was like a free symphony. Luffy started singing with them.

"The islands in the south~ are warm~

Paina-purupuru~ Their heads get really hot~

And they're all idiots~!"

"Second verse!"

"The islands in the north~ are cold~

Hyakkoi-koikoi~ Their heads shiver all around~

And they're all idiots~!"

"Third verse!"

"The islands in the east~"

All the birds had stopped singing and were all staring at the stranger. Chopper had just followed, lookig at Luffy with admiration.

"Did you write that yourself?" He asked with stars in his eyes.

"Yep. It's called the Idiot Song." Luffy answered with a big grin.

Happily the two kept on trodding through the thick undergrowth, until they heard a human voice.

"Is that Usopp?" Chopper hesitantly asked.

"Let's go to him and find out!" Luffy said, happy something interesting was going to happen again. After around a minute of walking, they did indeed find Usopp.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Usopp asked as he heard them approach.

"We're on an adventure!"

"We though we heard your voice, so we walked towards it to find out."

"You wanna join our adventure?" Luffy offered excitedly. It was surprising he didn't immediately start bouncing around.

"Sure. I got all that I need anyway." The long-nosed man answered, patting his pockets.

"What where you here for then?" Chopper asked as he was curious.

"Shh! Don't tell!" Suspecting a spy, he peered around quite carefully and then turned back to his friends. "I'm making a special liquid to harden sand!"

"Oooh!" Luffy said. "So what's the use?"

"The sandcastle competition?"

"Oh yeah!" Luffy laughed.

The trio now walked, not really knowing where'd they'd end up. Usopp had rationalized it was impossible to get lost on this island. In the jungle, all you had to do was just walk in one direction the entire time, and then you would reach the coast. So off they went, until they heard peals of laughter.

"I never thought there would be so many people in the jungle." Chopper mused out loud.

"I never heard anybody except for you guys." Usopp said.

"Maybe it's Nami and Robin. Or this girl Sunny I met."

"Sunny?" The other two asked in unison.

"I was walking on the beach, and then this girl asked what my name was, and then she invited me to have food with her. I don't know where she went though."

Usopp sighed at the naivete of the raven-haired man. Sometimes it really made you wonder if he really was seventeen, not twelve. He didn't shave, and his legs and torso too were devoid of hair. Or maybe it was a trait shared by him and Ace. Most people with dark hair and light skin had obivous stubble, but Luffy had never had anything.

"Hey Luffy, do you shave?"

"Huh?'

"You know, your face?"

He still looked at Usopp with a confused expression.

"Can you grow a beard?"

"Oh!" Luffy laughed yet again. "No."

"Maybe it's because of the Devil Fruit you ate. When did you eat it exactly?"

"When I was seven. Shanks and his crew had come to my hometown, and they'd brought it with them. I accidentally ate it for desert!" Again he laughed.

Again they heard voices, but this time you could make out some words. Chopper changed into his reindeer form, and smelled the air closely.

"Usopp! Luffy! I think this is a female hot spring." He said. The smells certainly corresponded.

"So?" Luffy said.

"Don't you think we should stay away?"

His question was ignored as they saw the wall. Without any heed, they climbed over the wall and peered at the was covering his nose at what he saw. Some of the women noticed them, and started screaming. Quickly they all jumped out and grabbed their towels.

"Pervets!"

"Luffy... Usopp…." They heard an all too familiar growl.

"Hey Nami!" Luffy said happily, waving at her. He didn't seem to be bother by the fact all the navigator had around her was a towel slung at her hips. Usopp fell off of the wall while Luffy swung over his legs and was now sitting. Many of the women pointed at his crotch. How could he not be attracted to them?

"What are you guys doing?" She snarled. Robin walked out, however she had the towel covering everything.

"We're on an adventure!" Luffy said happily, completely not noticing his surroundings. Even Nami couldn't catch his gaze lingering around her chest. All he looked at was her face. "Wanna join?"

He was still stupidly grinning like nothing was wrong.

"Luffy, get the hell out of here. This is the women's hot spring. That's why most of them are naked." She bit at him sarcastically.

"But you're not… Oh." He laughed. "Oh, hey Robin. You wanna come on our adventure?"

"Luffy-san, I'm afraid we'll have to reject. Why don't you and Usopp continue? It's not really appropriate that you're here."

"Why not?"

"Unless you're a women, you can't be here."

"Weird rule. Well, see ya!" He waved at his two female crew mates and jumped over the wall.

"Um Luffy, look behind you?"

Luffy looked, and then his jaw fell open.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author: Nobody seemed to noticed I used that song Luffy sang in the Skypiea arc… I hope my cliffy won't disappoint you ^.^**

He looked and saw that Marine. The one who was there in Alabasta! What was his name again? Luffy face was crumpled in thought.

"I forgot."

"Forgot what Luffy?"

"This guy's name? Smore? No, that wasn't it. Maybe –" Luffy's pondering was cut short by the growling Marine. He was finally on a vacation, and then he would meet that Straw Hat. He didn't have his Kairoseki with him, and he was dripping with sea water. Some punk haad almost drowned in the sea this morning, and the blonde who dove in to save him had splashed him pretty good. However, he hadn't been able to make out their face. All he knew was that the drowning kid had a shock of black hair.

"Smoker." The man growled. He didn't appreciate meeting him, but he thought the kid would at least remember his name!

"Thanks." Luffy said, grinning at the man. Instead of his usual ensemble, he was now wearing some plain black trunks. He'd been looking for Tashigi, but when he heard people scream pervert he decided to check the area out. Smoker was surprised. He knew Straw Hat loved disrupting things, but he'd never pegged him as a pervert.

"Were you the pervert in the women's hot spring?" He sighed. Smoker just wanted to see if it was him and then he would go on the beach and sleep. Never before would he have let a pirate go, but he was tired and defenseless. Not to mention on a vacation.

"No, that was Usopp." He was still grinning stupidly.

The long-nosed man looked surprised. "What?"

"Another Straw Hat? You recruit them fast." Smoker growled. But then he remembered the bounty poster for 'Sogeking'. This man had the same nose and hair. His guess was that he had fought with a mask in Enies Lobby. However, he didn't let it on he knew this.

"Luffy! Why are you ratting me out?" Usopp angrily whispered, not really keeping his message a secret.

"He's a good guy." Luffy answered, still grinning that idiotic grin. Smoker was getting more and more annoyed by the second. He'd always been good at self-control, but this little brat made him want to rebuild that childish, carefree face of his. Somebody else probably had tried before him, as the pirate had a pretty large scar under his eye. Though Smoker didn't know it had been Luffy himself, trying to prove his bravery to one of the Yonkou. But even if he knew, his fists still itched to make contact.

He knew it was a particularly dumb idea, as his Devil's Fruit was compleetely nullified by the seawater. Straw Hat was quite good fighting physically. He'd even been able to beat Crocodile, even though he had a weakness. Smoke could easily be blown away, but over time, he'd been able to get it to be more dense. Luffy would pummel him, and that was something he didn't want to see happening. It would be beyond embarassing. And Tashigi had made him sign up with her for some dumb sand castle competition. He was in his thirthies for God's sake! Much too old to be playing with sand! But Tashigi had insisted, and just to get her off of his back, he'd hastily agreed. Maybe he could 'accidentally' sleep through the competition.

The two pirates were now looking at him strangely. Realizing he'd zoned out, he sighed.

"Don't make any trouble or I will arrest you." Smoker finally said, and he walked away. This was a first for him. Damn kid. He subtly looked over his shoulder, and then saw that familiar shock of black hair. Of course it would be Straw Hat.

"See, I told you he was a good guy." He heard Luffy say.

"But we should hope he doesn't alert anybody that we're pirates. With that sandcastle competition, if they know we're pirates, they're not going to give us that money. Nami'll kill us!" One of them said, he didn't know. But the Straw Hat's were also participating. He didn't want to cut his vacation short by arresting them, and this could do the trick. Burgler Cat Nami was a Straw Hat. Her bounty was pretty low, but not as low as the tanuki's. 50 Beli. Barely any pet even got a bounty. The thing was pretty cute, he had to admit. It's bounty poster did anything but inspire fear. Why was it even on the crew? He shook the Straw Hat's from his mind and went to look for a nice place to get some sleep.

Zoro, in the meantime, was relaxing on the last free hammock. It was much more comfortable than his usual position, sleeping against a wall. Most hammocks were occupied witth couples, kissing and flirting. He didn't want any distraction at all from his goal. Sometimes, however, he couldn't keep it in. Sexual frustration was a nasty thing, and it wouldn't go away unless you gave it a place. That damn ero-cook.

The green-haired man had no desire to have a relationship with him, and it wasn't really lust. He liked to call it admiration. As he was built broad, his muscles were plainly evident, but the slender blonde had that lean muscle that wasn't obvious. Yet if he saw the ero-cook bending over, he looked. Zoro was pretty sure he was straight. Fascination, he told himself almost every day. The last person he'd been in love with was Kuina. And then that damned Marine, looking like her. It was like God was saying, "Here! Even more distraction!". How can he expect to be the best if he has distractions like these? He let out a loud sigh.

With a grunt he propped himself up just slightly. Enough napping. Quickly he swung his legs over the hammock. His swords clattered noisily at his hip, earning some looks. Slowly he stretched, showing his large scar in plain view. His unbuttoned brown shirt covered most of it, but for just this moment you could see the still slightly pink scar tissue. It shined in the sun and it was smooth to the touch. The stitches had left scars too, but they weren't half as noticable as the wound they had closed.

Zoro stomped through the sand to a bar. He needed some sake, and then he would go see if they had a dojo. And if they didn't, he would just go to the Sunny and train there. He liked training in dojo's. The people there were rivals, and he sometimes was a bit smug about his skills. But he needed to improve. Rookie's weren't his focus. The Shichibukai Hawk-Eye Mihawk was. That man was so adept, it made Zoro seem like the rookies he clumsily saw training.

With a thud he sat down on a stool.

'What can I get you?" A kid asked him. He was probably around 18, but he was gangly. His plain face was covered with inflamed red bumps, and the guy's black hair hung in front of his face, trying to obscure the ace from plain view.

"Your cheapest sake." Zoro grumbled.

"Coming right up!" The pimply kid said with fake cheer. He probably had taken the job so he could look at the girls coming by. His gaze strayed often, Zoro noted, to a tan, busty blonde who was animatedly chatting with her friends. As the sake was put in front of him, he downed it. Suddenly a trembling ball of fur fastened itself to the back of his head.

"Chopper!" Zoro angrily barked. "Get the hell of off me!"

Without succes the swordsman tried to pry the reindeer off. Then he heard Usopp scream and Luffy faintly laugh in the distance. What the hell was going on here? Finally Chopper had let go, and Zoro was holding him with both hands in front of his face.

"Chopper!"

He saw the tonakai's scared face, and he sighed. "What's wrong?"

"A mob!" Chopper cried. "An entire mob of them!"

"Them?" Zoro's brow was furrowed.

"Luffy and Usopp and I m-madee them angry! The women from the bath!"

Zoro looked even more confused. "What did you guys do?"

"I told them we shouldn't! But then Luffy and Usopp climbed over the wall, and Usopp fell off with a nosebleed, and I stayed behind. But then the women got angry and attacked us! Luffy and Usopp are running for their lives!"

Zoro sighed. He then looked behind him, into the forest. Usopp ran out, tears streaming while Luffy had launched himself above. Everybody was looking at the scene strangly. Angry women ran after them, and immediately caused a ruckus. His two crewmates were running haphazardly, over beach chairs and jumping over sunbathers. But then Zoro spotted _her_.

Looking lost, she came out of the jungle, squinting. In her hand Zoro could make out her glasses. Were they broken? Tucking a still shaking Chopper under his arm like a newspaper, he walked over towards her. She was angry at him, but he couldn't let her stumble around and make a fool of herself. It wasn't Kuina, but it was the closest thing he had to her now.

"Are your glasses broken?" Zoro asked, trying to sound nice. He didn't often try to perceived as kind, so he hoped he didn't sound like a fool.

"Yes. I have some spare lenses with me in my cabin though. Don't worry about me, I'll be able to reach it." Tashigi answered. She smiled at the kind stranger. When she got her spare lenses, she would be sure to thank him. With a nod she put out her free hand and started stumbling some more.

"Where's your cabin? I'll help you there." The swordsman said, trying to supress a sigh. Today he sure was sighing a lot. But as usual she was trying to not need any help. She was as blind as a bat!

"No, no! It's okay, really!"

"You're not okay. Just let me help you!" Now she was annoying him. Chopper had stopped crying and was looking at the unusual scene with curious eyes. He noticed Zoro's awkward efforts at being chivalrous, and the way he acted nervous around her. So instead of wriggling himself loose, he was content to stay exactly where he was and watch it. All that was missing was popcorn.

Tashigi smiled. "Sure. I'm in the third row, cabin 8."

That cabin next to his, Zoro thought with a mild air of surprise. Looks like he was going to have to be sneaking around so she wouldn't notice him. Zoro gingerly wrapped his callused fingers around her wrist. Her skin was soft, unlike his own. He started walking and Tashigi followed him, trailing the slightest bit behind. Even though she didn't want to rely on people, Tashigi was happy the stranger was helping her to her cabin.

The bright green hair on top of his head reminded her of Roronoa. That pirate made her bloid boil! Three precious named swords were in his hands, tainted by his use! Using those swords for his own selfish ends, it enraged her. But the chance of that pirate being here were close to zero, so she wasn't worried. Then he stopped.

"We're there." Zoro said gruffly.

"Could you come inside? It would be almost impossible for me to find them by myself." Tashigi hesitantly asked. She didn't want to make the helpful stranger do something he didn't want to, but he was right. Tashigi _did _need the help.

"Sure."

Clumsily the black haired woman fished her keys out of her pocket, and after several failed attempts she opened the door.

"My spare lenses are in the bedisde table, the second drawer. I have them because I'm a Marine, and my glasses break so often, it's handy to have them near." She babbled. Heavy footsteps thudded over the wood, and she heard a drawer open. Some of her stuff inside clattered as Zoro was looking through it.

"Found them."

The footsteps neared her, and the lenses were put in her hands.

"Well, I'm gonna go –" Zoro tried, but was cut off.

"Oh no, let me treat you! I'm really thankful you helped me, it's so kind, considering you don't know…" Tashigi had put on her glasses, and saw the familiar green-haired swordsman she'd come to strongly disliked. "Roronoa?"

He looked quite uncomfortable, and was shifting his eyes from the angry woman to his escape route. Chopper was staring with excited eyes at the scene. What was going on? Why did the Marine woman get angry at Zoro? He'd been really nice for his doing. Was she a past lover, or did Zoro just annoy her?

"Fuck." Zoro grumbled, now looking at her. "Look, -"

"Why did you help me?" Her voice was hard, but if you listened closely, you could hear the slight tremble in her voice.

"Because…" He started, and left the sentence open. He knew how to do a lot of things, but explain that to _her_? Tashigi realized he wasn't planning on finishing that sentence, and her mouth tightened itself into a small line.

"I want to have a rematch. For hat happened in Alabasta."

Zoro looked at her in surprise. Didn't she understand he couldn't fight her? Before she could even unsheath her sword, Zoro had ran away, looking quite comical with Chopper tucked under his arm.

"Roronoa!" She yelled angrily. "Come here and fight me!" Tashigi ran after him. However, just as she did, something launched into her. After she opened her eyes, happy to find her glasses were still intact, she saw Monkey D. Luffy, lying on top of her with a childish grin.

"Oops, didn't see you there!" He said, scratching the back of his head. "Well, I gotta go!"

And with that he ran off, and Tashigi noticed the horde of women following the infamous pirate. Scrambling to get back, she fell off of the pier and into the water.

"Usopp!" Luffy yelled happily as he passed by a big fern on the side of an ice cream stand. Usopp looked unhappy to have been found, and he quickly ran off, seeing the angry women approaching. Why did this happen to him? Tears of fear were running over his cheeks. Luffy was now running next to him again, and they ran together. The black-haired teen was whooping excitedly, probably happy that he had gotten his adventure.

Now there weren't as many sunbathers anymore, as they had left the sandy white beaches. Here there were pieces of white, sunbleached coral lying around and broken shells nobody had wanted to take home. The sand was rough here, and darker in color. Instead of gently lapping the sand, waves reached much farther, and Luffy was starting to feel the effect of the salt water overing his feet.

He started breathing heavily, and he wasn't as energetic, and then he fell over.

"Gaah! Luffy!" Usopp shouted angrily as he ran back and grabbed a rubbery arm. The horde was gaining on them, and Luffy's arm was stretching! Usopp came to a halt as the limit of Luffy's elasticity was reached, and then they flew back together, hitting nearly all of the women in the process, who had stopped running to look at the strange sight.

Usopp was screaming like a little girl when he fell in the sand and slid in front of a fleeing Zoro who then tripped over the pair. Chopper was trying to get his head out from a sandcastle, and Zoro was spitting out the sand that had gotten into his mouth.

"You idiots!" He angrily growled. Hastily he looked behind him to find an angry Tashigi, her polished sword gleaming and a pack of five very angry boys who had just seen their sandcastle destroyed. As he realized there was no more escaping, he let out his held up breath and uttered a single word.

"Fuck this."

His face was devoid of emotion, and Chopper had just gotten his antlers loose. Luffy was scratching his behind, which was full of sand from the big slide they had made in the sand. His back was red and bleeding a bit, and Usopp pretended he was dead.

"Throw my body in the volcano…" He muttered weakly before he became motionless.

"Roronoa!" Tashigi angrily said, panting a bit from the distance she'd just ran. "Stand up like a man and fight me!"

Zoro glared at her, stood up and in a flash she was unarmed.

"Don't fight if you can't win." His voice was low, and the five boys were getting scared. They noticed the large scar on the man's torso, and the cold look in his eyes. That katana, one of three, looked extremely sharp, and the boys hesitantly took a step back.

The women were now behind the group, and had surrounded them. They pushed a very angry looking Smoker in the ring, and a very masculine looking woman pointed at Luffy.

"He's the pervert!"

"I told you! I'm on vacation!" Smoker angrily said.

"You're a Marine right? Arrest him!" Another said.

"You're pissing me off!" Smoker growled and he made at attempt to get the hell out of there. He was pushed back in, and then Smoker sighed. He then noticed Tashigi, glaring at Roronoa, and her sword stuck in a palm tree. Roronoa had a single katana pointed at her. Right in front of him were the captain, first mate, marksman and pet of the Straw Hat Pirates! Their bounty totalled 450,050 Beli! He couldn't let them go, even if he was on vacation. The Marines would know the Straw Hats had been here, and would point an accusatory finger at him!

But Smoker didn't want to wait for a Marine battleship to come here, and he'd have to accompany the pirates to Impel Down. It was hard for a Marine to be allowed to go on vacation! Smoker then thought up a plan. He would just tie them all up, and bring them to Marine HQ, saying he ran into them on the way there. The other crewmember had escaped, but at least they'd caught Roronoa and Straw Hat.

He cracked his fingers and glared at Luffy.

"White –" Smoker then noticed something he didn't expect at all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author: I got a lot of guesses, but none were right…. xD I thought it would be obvious :P But now, the actual story instead of my idiot prattling~**

As Smoker watched, smoke came from Luffy's skin. His fist touched the white sand, and his skin was a bright scarlet. What the hell was happening with Straw Hat? Everybody unfamiliar with this technique stepped back and looked in fear. First he stretched, and now he was… smoking? Even Smoker couldn't keep the surprise off of his face. He had hist fist to the floor, and then he slowly raised it, and a palm faced Smoker.

"Gomu gomu no jet pistol!" He shouted, and because of the shock, Smoker was sent flying, back into the sea. He hadn't mastered his Devil's Fruit to the extent of automatically immaterializing, and his energy was sucked from him.

"Smoker!" Tashigi screamed, and sprinted into the sea and was dragged out by her, even though she clearly struggled with his weight. The women were screaming and running away, clearly now knowing they couldn't stand up to these people! Even the Marine had been defeated in a single shot by that strange guy! Luffy returned to his normal state, and he was about to grin triumphantly, when an extremely furious Nami stood before him.

"You IDIOT!" She screamed, grabbing one of his ears and stretching it.

"Not my ear!" Luffy said as he tried to get the pain to stop. "I'm sorry!"

Nami didn't pay heed to his apology. Luffy didn't get what he'd done wrong, he was protecting his nakama!

"What the hell where you doing?"

"That Smoker guy was going to arrest me!" Luffy wailed, his ear being stretched quite painfully. "I had to fight him!"

"We weren't supposed to draw attention to ourselves." Nami growled. "But what you did…"

"But Nami!"

"Everybody now knows that we're not only pirates, but that you're a Devil's Fruit user!" She growled. "Meaning…"

"That I can just do what I want to~!" Luffy said, looking at Nami with puppy eyes, hoping she'll soften. But her heart was made of steel, and she just tugged his ear even more painfully. Sanji joined the scene after seeing all the lovely ladies fleeing, shouting something about a man that suspiciously sounded like Luffy. Franky walked behind Sanji and soaked in the scene.

"NO! That people are going to prejudiced with giving us the money!"

"Aren't we supposed to win the money building that sandcastle?" Zoro said, getting confused.

"Well, we're going to win, aren't we?" Nami answered in a low tone, making sure none of the crew would even think about harboring second thoughts. Usopp's legs started shaking, and Nami thought she could hear him reciting a prayer. The redhead let Luffy drop, who crumpled on the floor, rubbing his injured, overstretched ear. He was giving Nami what would equal to him as a dirty look. Nami haughtily walked off, back to tanning.

Sanji followed her with hearts in his eyes, and as they passed some girls sunning topless, you could hear his cries off, "Wouldn't you look lovely like that Nami-swan~?"

Zoro was pretty damn sure he could see the blood dripping from the ero-cook's nose. While he stoically walked past them, even though they were rubbing their breasts with suntan oil and sexily leering at him, while Usopp and Chopper giggled like schoolboys and Luffy probably didn't notice. Franky didn't live up to his pervert reputation and just glanced and walked past, while Robin just smiled at the young girls and followed the rest of the crew.

Before they knew it, the sun had set while they had enjoyed themselves on the beach without further trouble. All relaxing, they were enjoying a drink after the hot day. Nami's cheeks were slightly flushed from the sun, and her hair was wavy. Robin's skin looked like it had darkened slightly, her olive complexion not allowing red to show. Zoro had become sunburned whilst napping, not thinking of how the shadows changed constantly. Teasingly, Chopper tugged his swimming trunks down slightly so you could see the difference. Zoro grumbled after everybody had laughed at the seemingly pale skin compared the raspberry.

Luffy was also sunburned, and as a joke, he had mooned everybody, saying how white his butt was. Everybody laughed some more, and Chopper said proudly he couldn't ever be sunburned because of his fur.

"Doctor-san, even though your skin will not darken, your fur will lighten. Maybe you will leave her with a bit of blonde." She said with a smile.

"Eh?"

The reindeer hadn't thought of that. In Drum, the sun was so rare, and in Alabasta he'd been covered up at all times.

"I don't want to be blonde!"

"I've never seen a blonde reindeer before." Nami said. "Probably because where reindeers live, there isn't any sun."

Chopper looked sullen at the possibility of him being estranged from his race even more.

"Don't worry Chopper." Zoro said, feeling the need to assure the insecure crewmember. "We're not going to stay long enough for that to happen."

"Who knows?" Sanji said. "We could use a little vacation!"

"We can stay longer than the required time." Nami said. "And it is heavenly here!"

"We need an adventure!" Luffy said excitedly.

"Today was more than enough of a happening Luffy-san." Robin said. "I don't think Navigator-san will be happy with any more of your adventures."

"Damn right." Nami said in a tone that said it all.

Luffy pouted, but as his snack arrived, he cleared up again and started shoveling the freshly grilled meat in his mouth. In a matter of seconds the plate was cleared.

"Let's go swimming!"

"You can't even swim in fresh water Luffy." Usopp pointedly said.

"Aw…"

The captain looked sullen, and was looking at the shiny water. Seemingly black waves danced over the surface, and the pale moon cast strange patterns. It looked magical. You could easily see why Luffy would like to take a midnight swim. Gone was the usual hustle and bustle, and a serene silence filled the air. The Straw Hats weren't chattering anymore, and the crackle of the tiki torches was the only noise.

Then Zoro broke the spell by yawning rather loudly.

"I'm going to go sleep." He gruffly said. Sanji was angrily glaring at him, as he had been subtly scooting over to Robin's side and had been about to drape his arm over her.

"Yeah, I'll go too." Chopper said.

Usopp stood up, and soon everybody had decided they were tired. While Franky went to the Sunny, everybody else went to the cabanas.

"PILLOW FIGHT!" Luffy loudly shouted, and instead of throwing his pillow, he stretched his arm, causing poor Usopp to be smacked right in the wall.

"Luffy you ass!" He angrily shouted, hitting Luffy full in the face with one. Luffy just laughed and and hit Usopp again. Then Luffy's arm stretched to grab Chopper's, and accidentally grabbed the reindeer and used him as a shield.

"Hey!" Chopper angrily said, transforming and holding up a stupidly grinning Luffy. Usopp then accidentally threw a pillow against Chopper, and soon he joined the fight.

"Yohohoho!" Brook chuckled nervously as the pillows started flying around.

"Brook! Be on my team!" Luffy said as both Usopp and Chopper were pelting him. Nervously he threw a pillow, which rather lamely fell on the floor, not even coming close to anybody.

"C'mon Brook!" Luffy said as he blocked a few oncoming pillows. Brook laughed nervously again, and then he threw and hit Usopp in the stomach.

"Oof!" Usopp exclaimed as his breath was knocked out of him. Brook picked up another pillow and threw it at Chopper. And soon all four in the cabin we're fighting with pillows. As Usopp snuck behind Luffy, an angry knock was heard.

Hesitatingly Brook opened the door, expecting Nami or Sanji. Instead was a guy with gray, thinning hair and a traditional pijama.

"Could you please keep the fucking noise down?" He angrily said, almost shouting. Then he looked at Brook, and confusion twisted up in his face. "What the hell?"

"I am Dead Bones Brook, a gentleman skeleton! Pleased to meat you!" He happily said.

"You a Devil's Fruit eater."

"Correct sir. Now if you would excuse me, I am an active participant in a pillow fight."

Usopp laughed as he hit Brook, who then gracefully flung a pillow at him.

"Goodbye!"

The door was closed in the man's face, and the pillow fight continued until they all fell down in a blissful sleep after the tiresome activity.


	5. Chapter 5

The days had flown by, and it was the morning of the contest. Franky had, especially for the occasion, worn an aqua Speedo. Robin and Nami were solely wearing a bikini top, and then shorts, or in Robin's case, a nearly see-through wrap around her hips. Many men were watching them, and they sexily smiled at the crowd. Franky was discussing with Usopp, and they were ready.

The four boys whose sandcastle earlier had been trampled by Zoro were making silly faces at him.

"Say, shouldn't we have a barbeque?" He seriously asked Sanji, who was next to him. "I can get us some fresh meat." Zoro grinned.

The boys had heard this, and noticed the ever so slight way one of his blades, the Wado Ichimonjou, was unsheated. Audibly they gulped, and stopped. Sanji smiled to himself when he noticed the shitty swordsman was just scaring the brats. He himself didn't hold a particular fondness for the little ones, but he had fun scaring them a bit. Chopper was in his human form, and was making the sand level.

"Welcome to the Fiesta Island Sandcastle Competition!" A man who was wearing a cross between a sombrero and a ten gallon hat announced. "We will soon be starting, but let me just announce the rules! You will not be allowed to sabotage other castles, and you must have fun!" He laughed to himself loudly. "Now, the countdown!" He quickly moved on. "3, 2, 1, and GOOOO!"

Quickly the Straw Hats were building, and Franky had made a very handy wooden frame which would support the sand. In the record time of five minutes, they had finished the base and were moving onto the towers. Luffy was grabbing sand from a pile that Robin had created using a system of hands. Zoro was intricately carving into the sand, adding windows and such. The little boys were angrily looking at them, as their castle wasn't holding out too well. Other participants too, were looking at the masterpiece.

However, Smoker and Tashigi were still going, and theirs looked pretty good as well. They had made a model Marine base, and they had done it pretty well. A sharp whistle cut through the silent murmur of the crowd.

"And the time is uuuuup!" The strange man happily announced. "Participants, you may take a water break at the ZanziBar while we judge your creations!" **(A/N If you get the ZanziBar thing, you get a virtual gold star ^.^)** Zoro sauntered away, and ordered some sake, and everybody else took a drink too. Luffy was happily bouncing around, chattering to anybody who was near about how they were going to win for sure. Nami and Robin were flirting with some of the guys, Chopper, Usopp and Franky were cracking jokes, and Sanji and Zoro were silently sitting at the bar. Then suddenly people started screaming; a huge tidal wave was approaching!

Everybody ran, and Luffy was laughing excitedly. Usopp had already dashed away, and Chopper was clamped on Usopp's head. They too stared running, but Nami had stayed behind. Sanji jumped back and grabbed Nami, and they joined the mob of scared people. The wave was steadily approaching, and it had only seconds until it hit the bay.

"Grab a tree and don't let go!" Zoro shouted. Franky had rope with him, and he tied them to a tree in a record time. Luffy however had been stalled, and he quickly stretched his rubber arms around a tree and knotted them. The wave washed over them, and for around ten seconds, everything was eerily blue. The water then quickly retracted, and the Straw Hats sputtered out the dirty liquid.

But the worst thing yet was that the Thousand Sunny had somehow ended up in the forest, and people panicked at seeing the Jolly Roger. Franky immediately started inspecting the ship.

"They're pirates!"

"Arrest them!"

"They're going to plunder us aren't they?"

"Uh oh." Sanji said as the angry islanders started throwing rocks.

They all climbed aboard, and the Franky let the ship zoom away, leaving the now hostile inhabitants in awe. Usopp was panting on the desk, and Luffy sadly looked at the island. Many of the palm trees had been broken. Coral and sea plants littered the beaches. Twitching fish jerked, and some stopped moving. They landed with a splash back in the Grand Line, and Luffy was hooting like a monkey.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" He shouted as he straightened himself on Sunny's figurehead.

Nami was hugging a big bag to her body. "Thank God nothing fell out." She happily sighed.

"You stole the award?" Zoro asked, not really sounding like he cared.

"More like took what was rightfully ours."

Everybody smiled, and as the sun set, the day ended and so did their little adventure on the tropical island.


End file.
